


1. fever

by mini_marmoran (mini_cutie)



Series: Voltron Whump Week 2017 [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, Sickfic, Voltron Whump Week 2017, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 09:04:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11825472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mini_cutie/pseuds/mini_marmoran
Summary: Lance has a fever but he can't bring himself to rest.





	1. fever

**Author's Note:**

> word count: 2,602

When Lance opened his eyes that day, he immediately regretted it.

Just a small shift and his joints screamed at him to stop. His forehead pounded too. He practically heard the thump of it in his ears. Not just that, either. He couldn't breathe through his nose, his body felt hot and the room was far too cold.

Lance knew right then and there that if he stood up, if he changed into his usual clothes or his paladin armor and left his room, he would only suffer.

Pausing for a second, he weighed his options.

Lance knew his team well. If they found out he was sick, he’d be rushed back in bed. Hunk would be angry at him if he ‘defended the universe’ while he was sick. Pidge would definitely yell at him, too. She’d berate him about his self-sacrificing nature like she always did.

Then, Keith and Shiro would join in and they’d tell him about how he was sick and sick people aren’t in good enough condition to do anything but rest. Of course, Shiro would be much more gentle about it than Keith.

Coran didn’t hide his bias for Lance, that was for sure. He’d do anything for the boy. But, if Coran found out Lance was sick? The Altean would make sure Lance didn’t participate in anything, puppy dog eyes be damned. And Allura was a good leader who knew when to work them to the bone and when not to. She, too, would insist he rested.

However, Lance also knew that he couldn’t just stay in bed. Missing a day of training meant being behind everybody. In his opinion, Lance was already the least talented out of all the paladins. His skills weren’t going to improve while he laid in bed, wrapped up in his sheets.

That wasn’t even the worst case scenario. What if they needed to fight the Galra? They would never let him. The only thing Lance could do for the team was be the Blue Paladin and he can’t be the Blue Paladin while cooped up in this room.

Lance pushed aside the thick covers that shielded his body and stood. There wasn’t any time for his moping around. He needed to get up before he was so late that Allura decided to snoop in to see how he was doing. Or worse, she’d send Hunk.

The room was much colder now that he left his cocoon and the floor underneath his feet made him shiver. He wanted to rethink what he’d decided now that he had actually stood up. Instead, he continued his trek to where the bathroom was.

First, he had to wash his face. Lance had always been very strict about his hygiene. He liked to think he was handsome and keeping up appearances was a must. Besides, the cool water felt good against his warm face and it may even help with his fever a little. Cleaning up was a much easier endeavor than he had expected.

Dressing himself, on the other hand, was a nightmare to say the least. His body seemed to only encourage him to lay back down and to rest The cold of the room didn’t exactly help either.

Lance didn’t have much choice in clothes but he tried to dress as warmly as possible. He'd never been this glad to have his thick old green jacket. Though, even with all the clothes on, he still felt a little chilly.

Lance supposed the reason for that was because he kept getting hotter. When he pressed his hand against his neck and his forehead, he realized how high his fever really was. He convinced himself, however, that he could survive. He had to.

With his clothes on and all of that dealt with, Lance exited his room to head to breakfast. He wasn’t… dying exactly. But every step he took towards the dining room felt like it.

At least the room wasn’t spinning or anything. That would’ve made his trip much more difficult.

When he finally entered the dining room, it seemed that everyone was already there. Their heads snapped up just as they heard the door to the room open. The silence that followed felt too awkward to Lance.

The boy decided to sit in the empty seat between Shiro and Keith since it was the closest spot to him. The chair oddly felt cool against his back, and when everyone’s scrutinizing eyes turned to him, he found himself hoping he didn’t look flushed or sick.

“Lance, you’re late.” Allura was the first to speak after a long silence. Her words were scolding but it wasn’t harsh. Lance wondered if that was because she was used to him sleeping in.

“Sorry, princess. I just slept in is all.” Lance managed a broad grin, hoping it wasn’t obvious it took a great effort for him to have faked it.

He quickly realized how doubtful Pidge and Hunk seemed. Pidge was doing that thing where she leaned back in her as if trying to gauge Lance. Hunk didn't need to lean any which way. He was tall enough to peek at Lance over Keith's head.

Though Lance never thought he’d think it, he cursed at how close the three of them were. If any of them had a chance of finding out he was sick, it was going to be Pidge or Hunk. They were already pretty suspicious from his later-than-usual entrance.

They knew how Lance acted when he was sick too. They knew him better than anyone did. Pidge and Hunk had already called him out on his bullshit once, a long while ago. He was much sicker then so Lance expected pretending this time around would be easier.

Thankfully, they left him alone for the time being. If they thought or knew he was sick at that moment, they didn’t speak up.

Lance was grateful and immediately busied himself with grabbing some food goo. He piled it onto his plate but, as soon as he looked down at the food, his appetite seemed to disappear. He was never the type to be hungry when he was sick.

Shiro must’ve noticed how Lance hesitated because the older boy’s hand was suddenly on Lance’s shoulder and it brought him out of his thoughts.

“You okay there, sharpshooter?” Shiro asked, hand only tightening but comfortingly so.

Lance quickly nodded, gathering more effort to continue to grin “Just peachy.”

Shiro didn’t look like he wanted to accept that as an answer but thankfully, Shiro was never the type to push for answers. Instead, the hand on Lance’s shoulder drew back and Shiro directed his attention back to the goo in front of him. Lance was extremely grateful for that.

Yet, Keith seemed to pick up on Shiro’s suspicions and Lance could see the way the other boy stared at him from the corner of his eye. Keith’s eyes were narrowed and it was obvious that he was trying to find some sort of fault in Lance.

If he wasn’t already hot with a fever, Lance would’ve seriously flushed under Keith’s gaze. Maybe he did blush. He honestly couldn’t tell.

“You need something, mullet-head?” Lance soon had enough and directed a small irritated look towards Keith “You seem to be staring. It’s honestly unnerving.”

“Are you okay?” Keith didn’t let up. “There’s… something wrong.”

“Are you tryin’ to start a fight?” Lance pretended not to know what Keith was talking about as he pushed his goo around with his spork.

Keith didn’t seem to see that coming and he sputtered for a second as if trying to grasp at a response. If Lance didn’t feel so shitty, he would have laughed.

“N-No, that’s not… That’s not what I meant.” Keith finally seemed to find the words. “You just… You just sound… not normal.”

Lance directed another pointed glare at Keith, continuing to pretend to find all of what Keith was saying as an insult. Lance understood what Keith meant, though. Lance had hoped he didn’t sound as nasally as he felt but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

Pretending to be completely healthy was pretty difficult for Lance. He was struggling to casually breathe through his mouth since his nose was clogged and he tried his hardest not to shiver. All of his attempts were in vain, however, because Keith was already on to him.

“Listen, I’m not trying to be mean.” Keith’s tone held a bit of annoyance. His expression showed just as much. Lance had to admit, though, Keith’s expression also held a bit of concern. It made Lance’s heart jump.

It jumped harder when Keith’s hand suddenly flew forward.

Lance ducked, making his head spin. His hand pressed against the table to prevent himself from knocking anything over during his little dizzy spell.

“Lance?” Shiro’s hand pressed against Lance’s back and Lance used the feeling to ground himself a little.

“I’m fine. I’m fine.”, he said all too hurriedly before he glared at Keith. “What the hell, man?”

“I wasn’t going to hit you!” Keith defended himself, looking incredulously at Lance.

By this point, it Pidge was leaning forward on the table, trying her hardest to get a look at Lance from her seat beside Shiro. Hunk himself was halfway out of his seat and ready to walk over to Lance. Coran and Allura also seemed pretty distressed.

“Buddy,” Hunk said in that way that reminded Lance of his mama. He honestly sounded a little reprimanding.

Lance was about to shake his head to deny Hunk’s silent accusation but thought better of it since shaking his head might make him dizzy again. Instead, he waved off their concerns. “I said I’m fine, guys. Just moved a lil too fast.”

“If you were fine, moving a little too fast wouldn’t be a problem for you.” Pidge’s spoke up and Lance sent a pointed glare her way as well.

While Lance was distracted by Pidge, Keith suddenly pressed his hand against Lance’s cheek. The touch surprised him and he flinched but only a little because something about the palm of Keith’s gloved hand felt cool against his skin.

“What the quiznak, Lance, you’re burning up!” Keith murmured disapprovingly.

Lance opened his mouth to deny this only to quickly close it. Shiro stood up to check as well, pressing his hand firmly against Lance’s forehead. Lance couldn’t help but lean into the touch. Shiro’s palm felt cooler, better.

Lance couldn’t tell if his face felt hot because of his fever or because he was flustered.

“Lance! What did Pidge and I tell you about being sick?” Hunk walked over just as Shiro was withdrawing his hand and Lance felt a little remorse when he saw the worried expression on his best friend’s face.

Pidge also scrambled to get up and take a look at Lance but her expression was much less worried than it was angry. “Lance, stop being so selfless…”

The fuss they made seemed to attract Coran and Allura who also crowded around Lance. Allura seemed worried but Coran looked absolutely frightened.

“Are you alright, my boy? Is there any way we could help?” Coran was the first to speak between the two of them and Allura nodded as if urging Lance to answer.

It wasn’t Lance that answered, however, since Shiro beat him to it “Do you guys have a towel and a basin we could put cold water in?”

Coran nods at that “I have no clue what a basin is but I am sure I can find some sort of container.”

The older Altean exited, leaving Allura wringing her wrists. This would be the first time any of them got sick.

“It’s alright, princess. It’s probably just a fever,” Pidge assured her. “He got fevers like at least three times back in the Garrison.”

“I see,” Allura answered, though she still seemed significantly worried.

“Still… What if it’s some sort of space flu?” Hunk countered as if fueling Allura’s concerns.

“I… I shall go research about this. Perhaps there is something to this fever,” Allura babbled a little before scurrying away just like Coran had.

“I’m fine. I’m not that sick.” Lance finally managed to get a word in though Allura was much too far to hear. He still tried to pass off as okay but, from the deadpan look everyone gave him, he didn’t think he did so well.

“C’mon, you need to get to bed.” Keith eventually pulled his hand away only to grab Lance’s hand and give it a harsh tug. That was probably Keith’s attempt to help Lance get up. It was no help at all. Plus, Lance could get up himself.

“Cool your jets, Keith,” he complained, hand still pressed against the table to steady himself as he stood.

He felt irritated that he really was going to miss a day of training. He felt even more irritated by the fact that he was bothering his friends with this fever too.

“I’ll make you some soup… Ya’ know, since I know you don’t like solid foods when you’re sick,” Hunk told Lance to console him before leaving to do as he said.

Pidge also hurried away though her excuse was to find blankets and pillows for Lance. She knew all too well how cold he got. In better circumstances, Lance would’ve been thankful.

Right now, he could only feel like a bother.

Keith didn’t miss a step. As soon as Hunk and Pidge were gone, he turned to Lance. “Stop making that face.”

Lance sighed, “What the quiznak are you talking about?”

“What Keith might mean is that… You shouldn’t feel bad about being sick.” Shiro stepped in for Keith, seeing as the latter was pretty much emotionally constipated, and most of the time, had the inability to put what he thought into words.

“Yeah,” Keith agreed almost dumbly before he sheepishly glanced at Lance, “You looked pretty upset about us finding out you were sick…”

“Well…,” Lance started to say only to trail off, pulling his hand out of Keith’s.

He didn’t know exactly what to say. It wasn’t as if he didn't feel comfortable enough to tell them that he doubted his importance to the team. It was just that he felt it was unnecessary for them to know. He knew that they would all support him and accept him but, once he said it, he couldn’t go back.

If he said it, it would become too real and Lance couldn’t deal with something like that while he was sick. The fever was bad enough.

So, instead, he went for the safe route. “Thank you.”

Shiro gave Lance the same look he gave him at the dining table. It was the one that Lance thought meant Shiro wanted to pursue the matter.

However, before he could, Lance interrupted. “I guess I just don’t like not doing anything.”

Shiro’s expression slowly morphed into one of understanding and Lance felt as if he’d gotten away this time. Keith looked a little more doubtful but he didn’t press so Lance was confident it wouldn’t be brought up again.

“Anyway, you should get to bed, ” Keith chided, hand pressing against Lance’s back to push him forward.

“Okay, okay. So pushy,” Lance grumbled but complied.

“And Lance?” Shiro matched Lance’s steps, walking beside him at the same pace. “Don’t try to hide another fever from us in the future, okay, sharpshooter?”

It wasn’t a promise. Shiro wasn’t making Lance promise. It was just a simple request, a suggestion if you will. At least, that’s what Lance told himself as he nodded.


End file.
